“It is probably for the best, because as you can imagine, the idea of my little sister in bed with a man who will never give her what she deserves is not one to please me.”
What in the name of Odin was Moon talking about now? Did he believe they were involved, or did he not? Nothing he was saying made any sense.
And then he understood. The day Aife had first kissed him, by the forge, Sven had been with her, talking about what Emma had done. She had been laughing her new, sultry, evocative laugh for him. She had only thrown herself into Torsten’s arms when Sven had left to see Freydis. She had wantedSvento see them, not her cousin.
She had used him to make his brother jealous.
And then when he had asked her why she had kissed him, she had lied.
“Excuse me,” he said through gritted teeth, feeling like a prized fool. To think he’d been about to ask her if they could see where their new relationship could go… What a naïve idiot he really was, one who didn’t know anything about women. “I need to go see Aife.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Moon called out. “I already explained that you wouldn’t need to help her any longer. You’re free to see Bera. Aife doesn’t mind.”
6
Aife doesn’t mind.
In other words, she didn’t care about him, didn’t care whom he kissed or whom he bedded, and no wonder. She cared nothing for him, because the man she actually wanted was his brother.
Thank the gods Moon had come to talk to him when he had. Torsten had been about to make a fool of himself and ask Aife if they could be more than friends, oblivious to the fact that she was trying to attract another man, unaware that this game they had started to play and that had taken over his life meant nothing to her. He’d taken a gamble, and he had lost. For the first time in years he’d considered giving a woman a chance, only to discover that she was lusting after someone else.
To add to his humiliation, that someone else was his own brother. But of course it had been about bloody Sven all along. How had he not seen that? Hadn’t he noticed she was laughing in that unusual, sultry way on that day outside the forge, while she was talking to his brother? Hadn’t their first kiss, the inexplicable one, happened moments after Sven had gone to join a woman he intended to bed?
Torsten’s feet pounded the ground as he hurried in the direction of the forest. Aife’s mother, Frigyth, had told him he would find her in the field on the other side of the river where the villagers kept their horses, getting Moon’s horse ready for him. Even better. Away from the village there was no chance anyone would overhear their conversation.
He found her tightening the girth on Grendel’s saddle. Next to the massive stallion, she looked so petite, so fragile… He did not let the sight affect him. While he was mad at her, the last thing he needed was to admire the contrast between the horse’s powerful rump and her delicate hands, or to observe how her golden hair shone against the shiny black coat of?—
Enough of this! He was angry, not entranced. He stormed through the gate and called out to her.
“Aife.”
She turned her head toward him and instantly flushed. Had she seen the look of thunder in his eyes? Probably. It would be hard to miss.
“Torsten. What are you doing here?”
“Why shouldn’t I be here?”
“I-I don’t know.”
He planted himself in front of her and had the satisfaction of seeing her swallow. Yes, she was definitely nervous. Perhaps she was wondering why his attitude had changed. Perhaps she was feeling guilty for misleading him—as she should. Perhaps she feared his reaction if he ever found out why she was using him.
Well, hehadfound out. And he felt furious and humiliated. Because of it, he decided to get straight to the point.
“I was wondering,” he started, crossing his arms on his chest. “How is it going with Edita? Has she seen any of our kisses yet? What has she to say about them? Has she changed her mind about you being unable to attract men? Or perhaps she doesn’tsee me as man enough to count. Perhaps seeing you with one of my brothers would impress her more.”
If he were honest, that she had fallen for one of his brothers was what bothered him the most. Steinar was the eldest, Sven the youngest, he was “the other one.” The two of them were both as strong as their father, he was a lot leaner and not as tall. He’d always been the odd one out, in looks and temperament, the one not at ease with women, and he was currently the only one unhappy with his situation. It wasn’t even the lies and the betrayal of trust he hated, even if he did, it was the cruelty of choosing him for her petty schemes. If she had to do it, couldn’t she at least have chosen someone less insecure in their power of attraction? Haakon, Arne, Oddvarr, none of them would have minded.
Imagining her in another man’s arms sent his stomach roiling. He had better get to the point.
“Tell me. Does your cousin even know about us?”
Aife had the honesty to appear flustered at the question. But her answer was far from satisfactory. “You know she does. You pretended to fight for me.”
Yes, with Sven of all people. How ironic. “You must have been mightily disappointed to see that I ended up to be the one begging for your favors. Because I am not the one you wanted to win, am I?”
She took a step backward, looking worried. “Please, Torsten.”
“Please what? How can I serve now? What do you want me to do? Kiss you? What would be the point? There’s no one here to see us.” He leaned forward, bristling with intent, closing the gap between them once more. “Tell me, what do you want me to do? Lift your skirts and pin you to the nearest tree?”
